I'm going to have to reread the last half dozen chapters. The pace has been lightning fast, at least by this arc's standards. This 15 minutes till destruction exasperate that. Oda's adhering closely to the final phase of "Ha" in Johakyu.
It's finally settled. Zoro vs King and Sanji vs Queen are official. I have to say, Oda did a pretty good job of throwing curveballs against fairly obvious pairings.
Zoro operating at peak performance.
He looks so much fiercer with his upper robe off, combined with the bandanna.
And Sanji's splits. You'd almost think he ate a replica of the Gomu Gomu. Despite all the yoga, I'll never achieve that level of flexibility.
It's great to finally see these two have a meaningful moment together, fighting side by side. People underrate the level of trust Zoro and Sanji have for each other. They aren't the best of friends, but they are brothers. Brothers don't always get along, but they know one and another better than almost anyone. And Zoro and Sanji know what the other is capable of, which fuels their trust in the other. And as crewmates, they have a common goal: using their strength to face any obstacle that's in their captain's way.